Running
by Skeleton of Gold
Summary: Luna has been running for years, running away from the danger that lurks at every corner in the Inkworld and from her dark and lonely past. When a voice plucks her from her own world and she is forced into a new life, will she still run? Or can she muster the courage to stand her ground? **My first story!**
1. Chapter 1

Alrighty, this is my first story ever. I don't own anyone or anything but Luna. I read Inkheart a long time ago and have loved it ever since, so I figured it would be a good story to write my first fanfic for. It would be awesome if you could review and tell me if you like it, or if you hate it or wanna see more of it. I have a general plan for it but nothing concrete. Also Luna has a very distinct personality, I promise, and I know my name on here is Luna but she's nothing like me either. No mary sues here haha.

Enjoy! -L

**Chapter 1. Escape**

Running. She pondered the meaning of the word as she went, bounding between the ancient trees and over the jagged rocks in her path. As her small feet flitted from grass to moss patch and back, the only sound that could be heard was the swishing of her light dress. Well, that and the dozen or so men and their hounds crashing through the forest behind her, trying in vain to catch the lost sprite. Even though it had been only minutes since she narrowly escaped between the bars and vaulted over the high stone wall, she felt like she had been running for years. And maybe she had.

"Yes, Luna, you're doing just fine now, those clumsy brutes and their dogs can't possibly catch up. But what next? You'll find a little town, maybe a quiet inn. And you'll relax. And they'll find you again. And again. They'll hunt you down and kill you like the rest."

The voice in her head, always a pillar of logic and reason, piped up. Then she heard another voice, a softer one, the voice of the boy who caught her in the first place.

"Well hello, little girl. Not too bright, are you? Thinking you could hide from me with that snow-white hair of yours. I bet Capricorn would love to see it. He's been after the giants lately. Hunting a pretty little sprite like you would surely brighten his day…"

Even now, sprinting through the forest past glistening pools of clear water and blurs of golden sunlight peeking through the canopy, she could still feel the knife at her neck and smell the mint on his breath.

When she put some thought into it, she truly had been running for years. Even sitting in a damp cave with Dusty and the Prince by the fire, poking fun at the lords and ladies they entertained that day, they were still running. Even if it was for different reasons. And poor little Luna was running even before that, running from the hungry wildcats and away from the fire-raisers and soldiers. Ever since the men attacked her village all those years ago she was running and jumping and dodging and sprinting, running away from where they were and what she was.

She kept at it for what felt like days, until the sounds of angry men and barking dogs echoing through the trees had faded away. Slowing down, she changed her pace to a quick walk and took in her surroundings. She had ended up in a small clearing by a trickling stream, lined with rounded boulders and the ancient trees she loved so much. Listening even harder to the forest around her, she could hear their whispers, too. Their deep, scratchy voices were comforting her, telling her she could rest here and be safe. With a graceful twirl, she returned to the stream and crouched down to the cool water. As she was about to dip her hands in, another soft sound caused her to freeze, like a frightened deer. Distant, but clear, a voice spoke to her. Her eyes went wide, scanning the nearby forest for signs of life. Darting from boulder to boulder, she looked for even a minuscule sign of movement. But nothing, just this new voice speaking to her. She tried to focus on where the words were coming from but as soon as she tried she heard more sounds. As this voice went on and on, describing the sweet smell of the moss by the stream and the faint glow of fire elves in the trees, she could make out the crackling of paper. She quickly jumped up with the intention of turning and running again, but as soon as she did she felt ill. The air around her began to shimmer, the voice now describing her silvery white hair and the tattered blue dress she wore, her thin, malnourished frame and her round, clear blue eyes. The air shimmered brighter and brighter, the sound of the voice getting closer and closer and with a whimper Luna felt her legs weaken and her mind go fuzzy. As she knelt again, confused and afraid, she could barely make out a wood floor and a tattered carpet beginning to appear.


	2. Chapter 2

*pre-authors note*

lol sorry this took so long, I had to mess around with it and there were some technical difficulties, but it's all fixed now :)

Hey guys,

So I've been thinking. That first page I wrote is the first time this story has ever been officially laid out. Ever. So it's kinda like….. a tree trunk. A trunk that has like 200000000 branches. There are a lot of different directions it could go, and I've considered a lot of them for a long time. Like I said before, I have a general idea, but now it needs a lot of maintenance. So for now I will give you a short chapter, and then I will do my homework like a good writer and give you guys the story you deserve. Thank you so much for the follows and to "Mad mind flip" for your review! :)

Thanks :) - L

**Chapter 2. The Man with the Book**

Luna couldn't remember feeling this sick since the last time the fire raisers had caught her. On that terrible day, the normally bright and pale-blue sky of the ink world had been a deep and foreboding gray, the clear air burdened by the weight of a storm on the horizon. She knew better than anyone how horrible getting caught in the rain could be, especially while trudging along a muddy path on the outskirts of Lombrica. All these years later, she could still recall the hope that rose in her chest when she saw an inviting-looking inn just a few yards up the road. Upon edging up to the worn wooden door and gently pushing it open, her mood turned instantly sour. There, laughing and drinking by the warmth of the fireplace, were at least a dozen men wearing Capricorn's colors. That sensation of a stone settling in your gut, a pressure in your head and a burning in your heart, is what Luna now felt as she found herself kneeling on the floor.

Luna's mind could not comprehend what was happening. She was running, she heard a voice, and now it appeared as though she was in someone's house. The pounding in her chest quickened when she looked up from the old wood floor to see the source of the voice.

There, just standing before her plain as day, was a man tightly gripping a book. He looked as confused and afraid as she was. Her wide eyes snapped back down at her hands, now flattened on a tattered rug instead of cool grass.

"Ohhhhh, Luna, what have you gotten yourself into now…" the voice in her head piped up again.

Before she could utter a word, a thick black boot swung under her and kicked her onto her back. Reverting completely to her survival instincts, she rolled to the right and flipped onto her feet. When she regained her footing and looked to her attacker, she realized the situation was worse than she imagined. When she saw the Man with The Book, she had assumed magic was the culprit. This was not necessarily bad. Wizards were rare in Lombrica, but not unheard of. And with the same social standing and respect (or lack thereof) of Sprites, they were usually friendly to each other. But the owner of the black boot was no ally. Luna found herself staring directly into a pair of water-clear eyes.

"You. Little. WITCH.", Capricorn uttered under his breath. "What have you done?"

"L…Luna didn't do anything. Leave her alone..", Dustfinger muttered. When reflecting on these events as an adult, Luna had decided Dusty hadn't sounded very convincing.

"Sh…shut… shut up, you rat, or I'll…I'll add some more scars to your handsome face!"

Luna stared at the four men before her with a sense of profound fear and confusion like she had never felt before. Capricorn looked the angriest she had ever seen him, and she was afraid. Dustfinger looked about as alarmed as she was, but that was mostly because he was still in Basta's tight grip.

"…he was probably asking him where I ran off to…", Luna speculated.

Basta was afraid, too, but the difference was that he was not wildly looking around the room in fear and awe like the others. He looked only to Capricorn for instructions. Her gaze then fell on the Man with The Book.

He may have been a wizard, but he sure didn't look like it. He looked, well, like a normal man. Average height, average build, with dark brown hair. He looked horrified at the scene unfolding in his room, which led Luna to think that maybe he did not intend to do whatever he did. She didn't notice the other person in the tiny home until his eyes nervously glanced down towards the carpet. To Luna's surprise there was a little girl there, no more than 3 years old, blankly staring at the visitors in her house.

"I don't know who you are or why you…"

That was the only part of Capricorn's threat Luna heard, because some time after the word "who", the Sprite took what she knew would be her only chance. She quickly stepped to the side, rolled under a swing from Basta and launched out of the room. With her heart racing and the walls closing in on her, she ran to the end of the hallway, grabbed the first doorknob she saw, wildly swung open the door and sprinted into the cool night air.

"You don't need to know where you are, Luna, you just need to know where Capricorn isn't…" she thought as she performed her familiar dance. Running and ducking and leaping, she quickly put enough distance between her and the house to the point where she could turn to see if she was followed. There was no sign of Basta, probably because Capricorn hadn't left and he wouldn't dream of leaving without his order. She whipped back around, and immediately shrieked.

Eyes. Massive, glowing eyes in the darkness, moving towards her at lightning speed. She panicked, and there was no time for her to jump or dodge. The creature roared as it got closer, and unleashed an other-worldly cry as it tackled Luna to the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

Hellooooo…

I'm sorry it's been so long! school is steppin it up a notch. It was kinda rough but I feel much more settled in now. I also kind of procrastinated with this chapter because I knew it was going to be a challenge. But here we are! Pleeeease feel free to review if you have anything to ask, or compliments or criticism or whatever.

Thanks!- SoG

OMG that reminds me! I changed my name haha. Long story. Also there's another reason this took a while. I kind of made this chapter too long and had to split it up a bit. I just wanted to be confident in my writing and make sure the chapters are just right.

**Chapter 3. Old Friends**

Meggie found herself feeling very apprehensive, sitting there in Eleanor's kitchen. They had been in her house for a day now, just long enough for Eleanor to convey exactly how much she loves children. Between how Mortimer and Dustfinger were acting towards each other lately, and how Eleanor was treating her, she wasn't very excited about her time in this sprawling manor, despite it being filled to the brim with books. The the attention her father was paying to a particular book was also disconcerting. While she was contemplating retreating to her room and into a book from her box, Mortimer and Eleanor entered the kitchen, clearly deep in conversation. Upon noticing Meggie's presence, they both stopped talking and awkwardly separated, Eleanor glancing into the fridge and Mortimer suddenly taking an interest to the potted plant in the corner. The three of them awkwardly sat in silence, until the old woman's face suddenly lit up.

"Oh! Mortimer! I almost forgot to tell you, silly me, I'm having a friend over to visit. She works at the little bookshop in town and she'll be dropping off some old volumes I've ordered. I'm sure she'd love to meet you"

Meggie's ears perked up at this. A friend of Eleanor's? She could only imagine how stuffy and old this friend must be.

"Ah, yes, I nearly stopped at that little shop, but I didn't want to be late. Does it have a good selection?" Mortimer asked, a familiar look of interest on his face at the prospect of visiting a new book store.

"Not really, to be quite honest, but the girl works there all by herself and I think she likes to get away on occasion. And I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy her company once in a while. She's a bit...different. But she's very intelligent, and pretty too." Eleanor trailed off, realizing she was beginning to sound like she was trying to set the two up.

The two fell back into conversation about books, recalling their favorite old shops and wonderful stories they've encountered over the years. Just as Meggie was about to escape to her room, there was a firm knock at the door.

"Eleanor? Oh, Eleanor?" A musical voice called from the door,

"I see a car here, do you have company? I can always come back later if you'd like".

Meggie immediately determined that this was not a stuffy old woman like Eleanor. She also took notice of Mo's strange reaction to the voice. As Eleanor turned and scurried down the hall to get the door, his brow furrowed ever so slightly, like he was thinking. As she opened the door to let her friend inside, his eyes widened and he slowly turned his glance toward the hall.

Two sets of footsteps trailed back down the hall, talking quietly.

"Nooo no no, you have company! Surely you'd like to entertain your guests; I can stop by another time! I promise!"

"Sweetheart, you are staying here, and that's final. In fact, it's wonderful that you've come just now, you can meet Mo and Meggie!"

"Oh, but…er?…did you say…"

Eleanor reached the kitchen, old friend in tow.

"Mortimer, this is my friend Luna! Luna, this is Mortimer, and there is his daughter Meggie. And there's another one, Dustfinger, but he's…..well he's somewhere.

Meggie and Mo both stared in silence at this new guest for completely different reasons. Standing there, clad in skinny jeans and a light sweater, was a goddess. She had long, flowing dirty-blonde hair, tanned skin, bright silvery blue eyes and a slender, but muscular body, along with a look of profound surprise on her face. Meggie had decided immediately that this "Luna" was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, and damn if she wasn't a little jealous.

"um….M..Mortimer!….it is so very..nice to see you... again…" Luna stuttered, sounding confused but sincere.

He seemed almost stunned.

"Luna…" his expression changed from shock to trepidation.

"Its lovely to see you, too. Its been quite a while, hasn't it…."

They stared at each other for in incredibly awkward amount of time when Luna's gaze suddenly switched to Meggie.

"And Meggie! My goodness, did you know that we've met, too? You were quite young, though…you don't remember, do you?"

Meggie thought this was bizarre, considering the woman didn't look a day over 20, but talked like she was older. Her light, almost musical voice was young, but her mannerisms and speech were old fashioned. And she was not the first person to mention meeting her that she didn't remember...did she know Dustfinger, too?

"No, I don't think I do remember you, but it's nice to meet you."

Meggie was polite, but after Dustfinger she decided she needed to be careful about new people now. She also noticed that Luna wouldn't look directly at Mortimer while they were talking. She seemed instead to stare off into space, like she was thinking hard. Her face lightened up again and she burst out

"Oh! Eleanor, did you say…Dustfinger? He's here?"

…Really? So she does know him. How on earth did they meet? They don't even look like they're from the same planet…

"You know him?" Eleanor asked incredulously

"Er, yes, I do! Dustfinger and I are very old friends, I'd love to see him again" Luna sounded….tense. Like she was suddenly very nervous. Meggie had decided that she was a strange person. Between her mannerisms and her different facial expressions, she seemed a bit spacey. She also appeared to be the most sincere person in the world. Meggie made a giant list of mental notes in her head. But at least she had someone new to talk to around here, as long as everyone else was keeping their secrets.

"Er, well it's alright that he's not here. I'll just, leave..and you can tell him I stopped by…"

Luna mumbled, awkwardly grabbing her elbow and looking toward the floor. Almost as if on cue, the aforementioned "old friend" ducked into the room from the hall. He clearly didn't want to draw too much attention to himself, but Eleanor wasn't having that.

"Oh, well speak of the devil. Dustfinger, my friend has come to visit and what would you know, she says you two have met! What a bizarre coincidence."

She firmly put an arm around Luna's shoulder and the two met each others' eyes. For a split second Meggie thought she saw guilt flash on his face, but just as quickly it was gone and replaced with his trademark half-smile. Luna looked nervous, but still genuinely happy to see him.

"Oh Dustfinger, how are you? It's good to see you again! It's been what, six years? Oh my goodness." Luna immediately shed her apprehensive demeanor and pounced on Dustfinger, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"ahem…" He cleared his throat, settling his hands on her back.

"It has been about six since we last saw each other, hasn't it. You're….different. I like your…. hhhhair."

She laughed and flipped it over her shoulder.

"Why thank you, Dusty! I think it suits me." She added a smile that was suspiciously similar to Dustfinger's. Now they both looked mysterious and guarded. Maybe this Luna girl wasn't as genuine and transparent as she seemed at first….How does Mo know these strange people?

"And just how did you and Luna come to meet each other? The bookstore, I'm guessing?" Mortimer asked, his expression morphing into curiosity with just a hint of suspicion.

Eleanor frowned and Luna looked away, blushing profusely.

"Well, let's just say I'm not a very good driver is all…"

"Ahem, on that note I think I'll go out to the car and pick up the rest of my books and the catalogs. Mortimer, would you like to help me carry them in?"

She gave him a look that said a lot more than just "come help me carry boxes". He nodded and they both silently walked back down the hall towards the door.

It was at this point that a quote from a book came to Meggies mind,

"Curiouser and curiouser….."

…

alright, 2 things again

1. That quote is from Lewis Carroll's "Alice and Wonderland", if you didn't already know. Love that book, you should go read it if you haven't.

2. im sorry again about the delay in posting this! If i ever decide to end this i promise i will tell you and not just leave it alone forever. i hate reading a good story and realizing it hasn't been updated in like a million years.

Thank youuuuu, kind readers!


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